Get the Best Out of Your Long Term Car Rental

Decisions decisions. Long term rental contracts last longer than most celebrity marriages. Here’s some advice on how to make the right choice.

Once you have dealt with the all-important question of whether to buy or rent – and of course, renting is more sensible not least because you can do away with the annual hassle of haggling with the workshop, renewing registration and insurance – the next big decision whether to rent month to month or go long-term, which is like owning a car but with flexibility woven in.

Why Lease Long Term?

The best argument for choosing a long-term lease is the fact that the same car that seems wildly out of budget on a month-to-month basis, miraculously fits in your budget once you decide to commit. This is the reason intermediate sedans such as the Chevrolet Cruze, VW Jetta and the Mazda 6 are more popular for long-term renters, along with small SUVs such as Ford EcoSport and Chevrolet Trax.

More than half of Carlease customers prefer a long-term lease over a short-term, weekly or monthly contract. Here’s why:

Better discounts, of course.

Long-term leases are more likely to be offered on the latest fleet. Expect a newer car, closer day-to-day attention and more payment flexibility. It’s like a relationship you may have with your landlord, rather than say, a bed and breakfast you check out from after the weekend. In fact, your relationship with your rental company may end up lasting longer than your relationship with your landlord.

It’s not that kind of long-term where you get stuck with a car for years and years. At Carlease, if a customer gets bored of their Mazda, they can drop by and change to an equivalent Chevrolet with no problem.

There is Carlease’s unique Lease Exchange program where you can post your lease on our website and have someone pick up where you wish to leave off. The Lease Exchange is the only program of its kind in the UAE, and it is available exclusively to Carlease customers

Upgrades are simpler and cheaper. If you have family visiting, you can simply upgrade to a large SUV and pay only the price difference.

Don’t underestimate the beautiful drives to Oman in this season. Long-lease contracts are flexible and allow you to drive the vehicle, fully insured, to Oman.

Having established that long-term leases may best suited for UAE residents, here’s how to make the best of your lease.

DO

In the UAE, you’re likely to spend long hours on the road. The cost difference between a monthly rental and long-term contract for the same car is usually less than the price of a fancy brunch, so use the discount on longer term contracts to upgrade your car instead: the difference in terms of the comfort between a hatchback Nissan Tiida and a Chevrolet Trax SUV is well worth it. You’re almost always better off upgrading the car rather than downgrading the price.

Size the contract to the exact mileage – you will end up with a better deal.

Be a savvy automobile customer and keep your ears open for news that the model you’re picking may be due for an upgrade. No one is happy being stuck in a two-year contract in a Fortuner that was designed seven years ago when a new redesigned model is also on the road next to you. It’s a cheap trick used for many rental companies. At Carlease, we don’t shop for cars that are due for an upgrade.

Let the salesperson suggest the best car within a specified budget and your requirements. The ‘best car possible’ also costs the rental company more when it’s sitting idle, so a salesperson is incentivized to rent it first and you’ll get a better deal in the process. Keeping your budget secret doesn’t really ever help you.

DON’T

Don’t pick an SUV just because you have a family. People with families tend to prefer larger cars. However, most overestimate their need for an SUV. SUVs are more expensive and usually a family of four or five may be more comfortable in a similarly priced large sedan. The large sedan also usually has a better safety rating and better features.

Don’t pick a car only on the basis of the wadi-bashing trip you might decide to have one day. We find that very few customers actually end up riding around the RAK wadis as much as they think they will when they first arrive in the UAE. Remember, you can always upgrade to a 4×4 SUV for that particular weekend.

Don’t pick a large vehicle because you think it’s safer. If safety is on top of your list, pick the vehicle with the best ratings. (Trick: safety ratings are viewable on our Car Reviews and you can read our explainer on car safety standards here) People pick larger cars and SUVs because they feel safer, notionally. A larger sedan which costs the same as a small SUV usually has better comfort features and a better safety rating. Safety lies in how you drive, not what you drive. A larger sized car is likely to have bigger blind spots. Look around you; shoulder checks are very important and you’re best off with a car that allows you to conduct those with ease – which is usually the smaller car

Our Sales Team is always available to guide you to the best car that suits your needs. Feel free to Contact Us to find out more.